GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 8 - Page 57

Open Relationship
Starter Questions:
1 | Why do I want an open relationship?
Do you want to pursue relationships with
other people? Is this about sex? Your partner
will likely want to know why you’re initiating
an open relationship and this is something
you should be able to articulate.
2 | Is my relationship stable?
An open relationship is not a quick fix for a
failing relationship. If your relationship is on
the rocks and you want to continue your long
distance relationship, adding a new sexual
partner to the mix might make your current
relationship less stable.
3 | Am I prepared to experience jealousy?
Even if you’re the one who has initiated an
open relationship, you’re still likely to experience jealousy. It comes with the territory. If
you’re a particularly jealous partner, an open
relationship might not be for you.
If you feel like your partner might be game for an
open relationship, SET BOUNDARIES. Boundaries for
yourself and partner and boundaries for those who
participate in this open relationship with you and your
partner. You might even make a list of people that are
‘out-of-bounds’ like friends, exes, etc.
QUESTION 3
“How do I meet someone who
understands my nomadic-spirit
and lifestyle choice?”
From personal experience, I can testify to how hard
this can be. The most important thing is to be your
authentic self. There are obviously numerous ways
to meet people online that allow you to state upfront
who you are and what you’re looking for in a partner, so this can help. However, we don’t always meet
someone through an online bio. Sometimes it’s in
the course of our travels, while intoxicated at a bar,
through a mutual friend, the list goes on… in those
cases it’s even more important to not misrepresent
what you want out of life. While I think it’s important
to be honest and straightforward, don’t get ahead of
yourself and don’t misrepresent yourself.